Page 88 of Fall of the Ember Throne (Crown and Crest 3)

My stomach drops, and I hurry ahead of Denny, passing Lawrence’s guards and yanking the door before they can open it for me. I find Lawrence in his private study, his knights andMaiselstanding with him.

Lawrence faces the window. His hand is pressed into the window frame, and his arm is too straight. He looks highly agitated.

Suddenly, he lets out a guttural yell and smacks his hand against the window frame. The knights and I flinch at the uncharacteristic outburst. Maisel, however, stands behind the king, unmoved.

“She’s torturing the girl as we speak, and I’m supposed to stand by and let her do it?” Lawrence demands.

“Who’s being tortured?” I gasp.

“If you barge in, Camellia will kill her,” Maisel says evenly, though there’s fire in her eyes. She’s not as calm as she appears.

“Who?” I cry.

“Brielle.” Lawrence pushes his hands into his long hair, grasping the strands like he means to rip them out. “And Henrik through her.”

I grab the back of a nearby chair, taking slow breaths as the room begins to spin.

“Sit down,” Denny commands, pressing my shoulder so I have no choice but to obey. “You’re going to pass out.”

“Your Majesty,” Miguel says carefully, “it would be fairly simple to get rid of your sister, if that is your wish.”

Lawrence turns to the knight, desperate for suggestions. “How?”

“She’s not that well protected, at least not yet. If we attack, I’m confident we’ll win.”

Denny shoots him a disgusted look. “She’d kill Henrik’s sister and all the other women who wear her cursed necklaces as soon as she realized our intention.”

Miguel looks uncomfortable. “There would be casualties, yes. It’s very likely.”

“You expect me to sacrifice that many people to take her out?” Lawrence demands.

The senior knight stands taller, though he looks troubled by his own suggestion. “I’m not saying it’s right…but I do believe it’s what your father would have done.”

And for just one moment, Lawrence looks like he’s thinking about it. Then he suddenly shakes his head, visibly slamming a door on that idea.

“No, that’s not an option,” Lawrence says firmly. “Not only will I not sacrifice innocent lives, but I also won’t set Caldenbauer up for another war. Camellia has ensnared every noble family in Revalane. If I give that command, there will most certainly be an uprising even after she’s…gone.”

He blanches at the last word, likely not comfortable discussing his sister’s assassination.

“Henrik’s sister is safe as long as Henrik submits to Camellia,” Maisel says, growing impatient. “It’s Clover we need to worry about.”

The situation must be dire if she’s using my real name.

“Why me?” I demand.

Lawrence looks at me for the first time since I arrived.

One of Lawrence’s door guards steps into the study. “Your Majesty, Calla has arrived with a message that was delivered to Clover’s room.”

Denny’s hand tightens on the back of my chair.

“Allow her to come in.”

A few moments later, Calla joins us, immediately sensing the tense mood. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she says hesitantly. She lifts the folded piece of parchment as if it’s her pass inside.

“Who’s it from?” Lawrence demands, striding across the room to take it from her.

“The courier didn’t say.”

---